Analisi dei fattori di rischio nelle fratture del condilo omerale del cane: indagine retrospettiva

The purpose of this study is to underline any possible risk factors about the pathogenesis of humeral condyle fracture through a retrospective analysis of all 12220 dogs presented to our Section of surgery and emergency care between 1987 and 2003 and a comparison of our data with those reported in literature. In this report HCF had a greater frequency in hunting, adult, male dogs: they represented 44,90% of all the dogs with HCF, whereas only 22,31% of general population. Non hunting dogs represented 55,10% of dogs with HCF and 77,69% of the general population. Hunting dogs had a frequency of HCF of 1,61%, the others groups of 0,57%. The difference between the two groups of attitude was significant. The histological finding in the intercondylar area of amorphous and necrotic material, the absence of chondrocytes or cartilage matrix and the intense captation of 99mTc-MDP in the affected elbow after scintigrafy were similar to stress fractures. Hunting dogs live in small boxes and during hunting season, after short period of intense training, work hard and repetitively often in bumpy ground. For this reason, because also to the analogy that exist in the etiopathology of stress fractures in other species, we think that hunting might be for dog an important risk factor in the etiology of HCF. Besides, the common finding in hunting dogs of incomplete intercondylar fissure may be the expression of a pre-fracture syndrome that, because of continuing and violent stress transmitted through the radius on to the capitulum, might fall in fatigue fractures.